Anita Salem

Research Associate, Naval Postgraduate School

Anita Salem is a design researcher with experience in field research, human-centered design, and qualitative methods. She works in the public and private sectors helping to integrate human needs into the development of new processes, policies, and technologies. Anita received her Master degree from the University of Washington in Human-Centered Design and Engineering in 1997. Since then, she has taught user experience design, information design, and design research methods at the University of Washington and the Naval Postgraduate School. She currently teaches Design Thinking for the Systems Engineering Department at NPS and facilitates strategic planning, innovation, and communication workshops for the Center for Executive Education.

Before coming to the Naval Postgraduate School, Anita conducted user research for established companies such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Getty Images, Cisco Systems, AT&T, and the State of Washington. She also helped technology start-ups establish their product and customer strategies using human-centered design processes. Since joining NPS in 2007, Anita has worked with United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Department of Defense leaders in integrating human systems research into the design of their business strategies. She has helped develop stakeholder engagement plans in support of organizational change, researched the human factors impacting policies and processes, and facilitated workshops in strategic communication, strategic planning, and design thinking.

Graduate School of Business and Public Policy ||
Naval Postgraduate School || amsalem [at] nps.edu